Kristy Tillman is an interaction designer who is currently working as the head of global experience design for Slack. In this role, she is responsible for translating Slack’s culture and vision into design strategy and human experience across Slack’s international workplaces. Two years prior, Tillman joined Slack as the head of communication design. She built and directed Slack’s first multi-disciplinary creative studio of other design departments for crafting brand experiences through a variety of Channels.
In June 2010, Tillman started her career at Reebok and Puma as a brand designer who designed a variety of in-store and special activation creative. After just one year of her first design role, she merged her love of graphic design with the fascination for big-picture problem solving together. Tillman started working for IDEO, an award-winning global design consultancy, where she was a human-centered storyteller. She translated complex ideas into meaningful projects across various industries, including healthcare, consumer goods, education, automotive, and new venture design.
After more than 3 years of experience working for IDEO, Tillman joined a Boston-based start-up called Society of Grownups whose mission is to democratize financial literacy for the young adult set. As the design director, Tillman led the design cross-functional teams to create outstanding experiences with online and in-person service.
Tillman envisions design for the future as a tool that aids underserved and underrepresented communities in solving socio-cultural problems. In her interview with Magenta, she brought up her motivation for new opportunities “I like thinking about systems and processes and hiring and culture – those big, hairy ambiguous problems really give me an opportunity to stretch, and there’s nothing more ambiguous than a start-up.” with the passion for creating her road of success, Tillman has been working as a co-founder for her own nonprofit start-ups – Detroit Water Project. In 2016, Tillman’s strong commitment to cultivating design accessibility had prepared for her current role in Slack.
Tillman, Kristy. Behance, Inc. “Kristy Tillman: Inviting Yourself to the Table.” Adobe 99U, 23 Apr. 2020, 99u.adobe.com/videos/53998/kristy-tillman-inviting-yourself-to-the-table.
Kirkwood, Scott. “Getting to Know Kristy Tillman, Slack’s Head of Communication Design.” Medium, Magenta, 27 Mar. 2018, magenta.as/getting-to-know-kristy-tillman-slacks-head-of-communication-design-d4c5ff757229.
Tillman, Kristy. “Today Yesterday Tomorrow / Design and Technology Cultural Criticism from the Margins.” Today Yesterday Tomorrow, 7 May 2016, todayyesterdaytomorrow.com/wp/.
